Apple started approaching technology differently to become the leader of breakthroughs, but ever since Steve Job’s demise, they went from industry leader to industry copier. This has made it seem that they should change their motto from “Think Different” to “Why think? Just copy”.

When Jobs passed away in 2011, he took a large majority of his innovative ideas with him. His passing not only devastated the company emotionally but halted the corporation’s innovative drive and creativity.

The iPhone pioneered itself as the most innovative device in the tech industry. Since Job’s passing the iPhone 6 introduced amazing things such as the new sleek design with a larger screen and aluminum build.

However, they were behind the competition and lacking in several departments. The screen provided a very low 720p HD resolution, embarrassing in terms of tech, especially in a premium device. Now, with Apple’s yearly releases, some devices and features are rushed and half-baked and this device is direct proof of that. Other manufacturers such as Samsung or LG was touting full 1080p HD screens in their flagship devices at the same screen size if not bigger, and don’t forget, at a lower price! The camera on the iPhone 6 appeared blurred to my eye compared to other devices on the market due to lower sensors.

After the iPhone 6, Apple kept the same design, only offering marginal upgrades every year until the iPhone X.

Another disturbing fact: the company also steals several features from their competitors as they are constantly trying to play catch-up. When the iPhone 6S was announced, they took an idea from Google’s Android operating system dubbed “OK Google”. This catchphrase awakens the Google Assistant in Android devices. Apple twisted this concept and pioneered it as their own innovation only changing the name to “Hey Siri”. Apple also shamelessly copied hardware features such as “raise to wake” from Motorola’s Moto X.

The rampant swiping of ideas from other companies came to a head with the introduction of the iPhone 8 models and the iPhone X at the 2017 press event. Apple blatantly copied features from Samsung for this device such as the edge to edge design containing OLED high density displays which Apple used the same screen panels as Samsung and only cutting the small bezel for the notch which made the device look worse instead of better. Not all borrowed ideas were strong choices as the notch causes formatting issues on how different apps display on the screen.

While Apple is trying to catch up in the display technology is seen as a good move, using the same panels as your direct competitor pitifully represents a company that used to be the industry leader in everything technology related, including displays. I really miss Apple showcasing their retina displays in their phones back in the day to keep the whole audience intrigued. Other great features included stereo speakers which Apple also duplicated. The feature follows the same concept as the HTC One back in 2013, and this iPhone was announced in 2017.

Not only were they late to the party, they copied one of their competitors which they are beating by a large margin as HTC is lower tier compared to Apple, but this move makes HTC look more like a leader than Apple.

Apple also finally caught up with a technology that was introduced in 2012 by the Nexus 4, with the fast and wireless charging feature. Apple showed off this technology at their event making it sound new, even calling it by their own name “Airpower”. One of the issues presented is that they do not make this functionality possible. Of course, you must pay extra for a fast charger which should come with the phone like the competitors. The charging pad is also extremely expensive and has overheating issues.

The iPhone isn’t the only product line that Apple fails. They’re doing the same thing with the iPad. Apple followed the large screen tablet hype of Samsung by making devices of 7.5, 9.7, and 10.1 screen sizes. The iPad lineup has been stale for many years only offering marginal improvements over the last model and using outdated chips, which is extremely disappointing for a device that led a revolution in tech and created a whole new tablet market.

Apple Watch is the only family of devices from Apple that satisfies. Features such as ECG scanning, fall detection and heart rhythm detection make Apple still victorious in the fitness technology market.

In the end, Apple lovers will continue to buy the over-priced, under-imaginative products despite the fact Apple shows no signs of changing their ways. This comes at a disservice to the tech-savvy consumer, so Apple needs to relearn its motto and “Think Differently” again.